Literary Notices. xl vii 
Jahresbericht f. Neurologie und Psychiatrie. 
This volume is apparently quite equal to the two preceding issues 
in completeness and general excellence, and is indespensable as an aid 
to the research workers in all departments of neurology. 
Rnffini’s *“Ultraterminal fibrils.’’? 
After examining some preparations made by ApatTuy, showing 
neurofibrils, RUFFINI re-examined some old gold chloride preparations 
made from the muscles of the thenar eminence of man and showing 
motor nerve endings. Rurrini observed no peculiarity of structure 
at the time of making these preparations; on re-examination, however, 
he found that in the greater number of cases there arose from one of 
the terminal expansions of the end-plate a very fine, longer or shorter 
fibril, which passed toward and between the neighboring striated mus- 
cle fibers. This fibril is always single, very fine, non-medullated and 
presents at irregular intervals distinct varicosities. In passing from one 
muscle to another, this fibril glides upon the sarcolemma and winds 
through the endomysium to reach the neighboring muscle fiber upon 
which it seems to terminate. Occasionally it seems to pass in its course 
through the contractile substance of a neighboring muscle fiber. This 
fine nerve fibril, which Rurrini names the w/fraterminal fibril, may 
end in a small, but distinct end-disc, which he considers a true termin- 
ation, beyond which he was unable to trace any fibril; at times, no 
terminal enlargment was seen, but a short and very fine collateral 
branch was given off; these cases the author interprets as due to an 
imperfect reaction of the gold chloride; sometimes an ultraterminal 
nerve fibril ends in a small expansion, due to a dichotomous division 
of the end of the fibril, accompanied by characteristic terminal vari- 
cosities, constituting a small secondary end-plate. Examining one of 
these secondary end-plates under high power he was able to see an 
extremely fine, long, smooth fibril, showing no varicosities, whose 
mode of ending he was unable to determine. From these facts, 
RuFFINI draws the conclusion that the motor end-plate in man does not 
represent the true termination of the motor nerve, because there exists 
a demonstrable anatomical continuity between it and a non-medullated 
1 Jahresbericht iiber die Leistungen und Fortschritte auf dem Gebiete der 
Neurologie und Psychiatrie. Herausgegeben von Dr. E. FLaravu und Dr. C. 
JACOBSOHN, Redigiert von Professor Dr. E. MENDEL. III. Jahrgang, Bericht 
iiber das Jahr 1899, Berlin, S. Karger, 1900. 
2 ANGELO RUFFINI and STEFANO APATHY, Sulle fibrille ultraterminali nelle 
piastre motrici dell’uomo. Révista di Patologia nervosa e mentale, Vol. V, 1900. 
